Story by Rin-rin Yu
When John and Vicki Young started planning their log home in Mansfield, Ohio, they agreed on one thing: Their new home should look like it had been there for a century.
“We like old stuff,” John says with a laugh.
As hobbyist antique collectors, the Youngs always envisioned owning a cozy log home with a rustic feel that would serve as a perfect backdrop for their decor. John and Vicki went to Hochstetler Milling with a sketch of their dream house in hand, and the company’s architectural engineer, Steve Lykins, tweaked it to become a bona fide, functional home.
The 2,525-square-foot house is constructed of squared white pine logs with dovetail joinery, and contains three spacious bedrooms, two full baths and a powder room. On the main level, the great room combines living, dining and kitchen space; as well as a laundry room and a bright sunroom, where John likes to unwind with a crossword puzzle after work. There’s also a basement and wide single-car garage.
The highlight, and John’s favorite spot, is the outdoor living room on the grand wraparound porch that overlooks the pond. It boasts a fireplace, chandeliers, a dining area and living room log home furniture. Their 28-acre property is also home to a separate cabin and barn where the Youngs lived during construction.
In an uncommon log home twist, the exterior is stained gray. John admits that at first, they weren’t so sure about the results of this decision, which was chosen to give the house an aged appearance but turned out darker than they anticipated.
However, the couple grew to love the look, and it worked as intended: “People assume the house has been here for years and years,” John says, even though construction was complete in 2014.
The home’s interior adds to that time-honored feel. In the kitchen, John transformed an old printer’s table into a kitchen island and breakfast counter, and they added a reproduction Elmira stove.
While a fishing pond was being constructed on their property, John made use of the trees along the existing creek and turned them into kitchen cabinets. He used cherry wood for the cabinetry and topped the counters with granite from a local shop.
Ever the DIYer, John also made the staircase out of walnut and the garden shed out of pine. The house was purposely designed for the Youngs to age-in-place, situating the primary bedroom/bath and laundry on the first level and incorporating a ramp from the rear porch for easy access.
In the primary shower, John added five showerheads and a creamy ceramic tile accent wall, surrounded by dry-stacked cultured stone and finished off with a pebble floor. The bathroom floor is finished in the same ceramic tile as the shower’s wall, and there’s a clawfoot tub, as well (click here for more bathroom inspiration). The vanity is an antique oak dresser with a surface-mounted glass sink.
Upstairs is a loft and the other two bedrooms and bath, where their grandchildren love to play. A window was designed into the loft overlooking the sunroom to allow natural light to flood the space.
The charming powder room was constructed out of materials from an abandoned barn down the street.
John used the barnwood as wainscoting for the walls, made the counter out of an old wooden buggy seat, placed the barn’s tin roof over the sink and decorated the space with the barn’s gate and a horse collar.
The sink, itself, is a copper bucket from Mexico that he purchased on eBay and converted into a basin.
“John has very good taste in design, and I think that’s really what sets the project apart,” Steve says. “It’s not just a straightforward, cookie cutter-type of log home.”
With its highly personal touches, this “new antique” truly is one for the ages.
Home Details
Square Footage: 2,525
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2 full, 1 half
Log Provider: Hochstetler Milling
None
None
None
None
